Mesh networks, such as Low power and Lossy Networks (LLNs) for sensor networks, have a myriad of applications, such as Smart Grid and Smart Cities. Mesh networks generally share the characteristic of being a shared-media communication networks, such as wireless networks or power-line communication (PLC) networks (a type of communication over power-lines). Various challenges are presented with mesh networks, particularly LLNs, such as lossy links, low bandwidth, battery operation, low memory and/or processing capability, etc. Specifically, in a mesh network, outgoing packets (packets going toward a root node to reach outside of the mesh) tend to collide when they approach the root of the network due to the “fan in” nature of many mesh network topologies.